Tony Hawk’s ‘RIDE’ Game Includes Skateboard Controller

First there was the keyboard. Then the mouse. Then the joystick, the paddle, the trackball, the gamepad, the light gun, the motion-sensing controller, virtual instruments…and now, the virtual skateboard.

On Monday, Activision Publishing unveiled the controller for “Tony Hawk: RIDE,” to be officially released later this year. Activision hasn’t released the price for RIDE, or the new skateboard controller that the company announced on Monday.

Players actually stand on the controller, which uses a gyroscope to sense the position of the board, and includes a seaprate sensor to determine whether the user is reaching down to grab the board in preparation for a virtual trick. Users can also physically spin the board 180 degrees, apparently for “fakie” tricks where the board is ridden backwards.

Gametrailers got an in-person demo from Tony itself, video that unfortunately focuses more on game footage and Mr. Hawk’s face himself rather than his interaction with the board. It’s unclear, for example, what the arrow keys on the side of the board will be used for .(Menu navigation? Gameplay? Setup?)